Ottawa Titans claim first Frontier League championship with 4-0 series win

The Ottawa Titans won their first Frontier League championship on Sunday, Sept. 10, defeating the Evansville Otters in Game 4 at Ottawa Stadium with the stands erupting in cheers, fireworks, and champagne.

The Titans' only playoff loss came in Game 1 against Evansville in Indiana. They swept the New Jersey Jackals in the wild card round and the New York Boulders in the Atlantic Conference finals before claiming the title.

Second baseman Jackie Urbaez launched a 375-foot home run in the first inning, with Myles Smith, AJ Wright, and Jake Steels scoring on the play. Rainer Nuñez added an insurance run in the eighth. Ky Hampton retired the first 16 batters and allowed three hits over eight scoreless innings, earning Frontier League playoff MVP honours. Myles Smith made a decisive defensive play from left field.

The Titans drew record attendance for the franchise this season—fans broke a league-wide 29-year attendance record at the season opener and showed a 16 per cent increase in attendance compared to the previous season. A public celebration is planned outside Ottawa City Hall on Monday, Sept. 29, at 4 p.m.

Urbaez said after the win: "It's been a long time coming. We've been trying for five years. And now that we finally did it? What more could you ask for." Outfielder Taylor Wright added: "It's the best feeling in the world. It's indescribable. It's pure excitement, pure joy, everything we've been fighting for for months now."